Life as We Know It
by KudleyFan93
Summary: (YES! I KNOW I TOOK THE TITLE FROM THE MOVIE! Sorry!) My first Rigleen and Morderet story! Now married, Rigby and Eileen have had their very first child. How much further will this new family expand? I'd love to take requests for future chapters.
1. Son of Rigby

(( **Hello, fellow future authors! I've decided to welcome a new story to the batch. Another note: My other stories, like Little Kids, Baby Dudley, and Little Baby Blue Jay will probably be on a short hiatus until I can figure out some more ideas for their next updates. Sorry for the news. ****:s**

**But for now, here's something that will keep you MordecaixMargaret and RigbyxEileen fans happy. I present to you!… Life as We Know It (yes, I know I took the title from the movie, but I was stumped on other ideas! ****D:**** )** ))

The peaceful silence of the generic Tuesday afternoon was shattered by a piercing cry.

The hospital had been abuzz ever since five 'o clock that morning with a certain couple that were almost dwarf-sized.

"Aah!" Eileen winced as she felt another dagger of pain shoot through her body. "It's okay, Eileen! Relax! You're gonna strain something!" Her husband, Rigby, was holding her hand, as any new father would do for his laboring wife. Eileen glared at him, "Don't you dare tell me to calm down! How can I CALM DOWN WHEN THIS…THING YOU PUT INSIDE ME IS RIPPING THROUGH MY ORGANS?!" She retorted.

"Yeah, I love you too," Rigby sighed. He kissed his wife's moist forehead and rubbed comforting circles in her back as the doctor checked Eileen over. "I'm going to push!" Eileen announced with a grunt. "I hate to have to say this, but don't do it yet. I need to check you and make sure you're ready before I can give the green light," The doctor said, shaking his head. Eileen was not amused. "I don't think you understand! This baby is coming out, NOW!" she bellowed.

With that, the laboring mother grabbed the headboard of the bed, pulled herself into a half-squatting, half-kneeling position, and pushed with all her might. Much to her surprise, it barely hurt at all. No longer feeling nervous, she pushed a second time, and then a third. The baby's head slowly emerged during the fourth, and with the fifth one, Eileen felt her child's body gradully leaving hers.

To what felt like the longest minute in the world, the perpetual strained expression on Eileen's face faded away and was replaced with comfortable relief. Not a moment later, the most beautiful sound in the world, to what the new parents thought, filled the room. An ear-splitting baby cry emanated from the bloody infant that the doctor's arms held, howling at the top of its highest frequency.

"Oh my gosh…Eileen! You did it! There's our baby!" Rigby grinned widely as his wife's head collapsed onto the pillow. Eileen breathed heavily, her short, jagged intakes of air was enough to prove that she was exhausted and wanted rest, much to her dismay. "Yeah…I *_pant_* know…" She croaked, smiling weakly. Rigby kissed her again and wiped the sweat off of her face, "I'm gonna go see him." Eileen gave him a look. "…Or her..." He laughed nervously, then scampered off on all fours to where the doctors were cleaning the baby.

Rigby stood up onto a stool so he could get a better view of his child. As soon as he saw the mass of blankets and the baby that was bundled within them, he began to cry tears of joy. It was a little raccoon; just like him. The baby was the spitting image of his father, although he did not have the circles around his eyes nor was his fur color the same. It was a fiery golden-brown, almost the color of apple juice, Rigby noted.

The small baby raccoon slept soundly in his glass incubator, his soft breaths making Rigby want to melt into a blubbering puddle. He had never felt so…happy about something he created. It was a million times better than any macaroni art or sketchy drawing that he would make for his mother…it was something that he physically created. It was a part of him. HE made this baby. And it was HIS to keep.

Rigby ran back into the room where his wife was being tended to. "Eileen! Eileen! It's a boy! Just like me! You gotta come see him!" He exclaimed. Eileen smiled a bit, "I wish I could, but…" She gestured to her legs, "I can't even feel my own feet right now. I don't think I can walk."

"Walking won't be necessary," A voice said. Rigby turned around to see the doctor holding a bundle of terrycloth, "Because here's your son." The doctor handed the bundle to Rigby, smiled at the happy couple and went off to finish his work elsewhere.

Rigby peeled the blankets away, unraveling the tiny raccoon he had earlier saw for the first time. Now, the baby was fully awake and preoccupied with comprehending on where he was. This new environment frightened him, as he was no longer tucked away in the folds of his nice, warm womb.

"Wow…" Rigby breathed. His son had Eileen's perfect eyes; green. The baby had an angelic face and to Rigby, he smelled heavenly. "New babies smell great," Rigby mused. The little raccoon gazed up at his father curiously, wondering who this unfamiliar stranger was. "Hey there little guy, I'm your daddy." Rigby murmured to the small child in his arms.

Suddenly, it clicked inside the baby's mind. He had heard that voice before! It was his daddy. This was the man who would talk to him, read him stories, and sometimes even sing to him. Daddy! The baby raccoon cooed up at his father, gurgling incoherently. He wasn't quite able to get a straight smile, but it was good enough to make Rigby gush with supreme happiness.

"Eileen, look at him," Rigby quietly squealed as he approached his wife's bedside, then showed her the baby. Eileen tentatively took the bundle from his arms, much to Rigby's dismay. Copious tears flowed down her face in profusion as she uttered, "Ohh, he's so cute…" She kissed the small raccoon's forehead, "He looks just like you."

"He looks like _us_. He's part of you, and he's part of me." Rigby pointed out, with his signature smirk. Eileen rolled her eyes playfully just as the bedroom door knocked, "Come on in…?" Rigby hollered. The door opened and Eileen smiled at the sight of the two figures in the doorway, "Mordecai, Margaret! It's a boy! Come and see him! He's so cute!" She squealed.

The two birds walked over to the bedside, hands laced together. Margaret grinned, "Ohh, Mordecai, look at him!" She whispered to her husband. "That'll be you in that hospital bed in a few months, ya know. The twins will be born by then." Mordecai gestured to her protruding stomach.

"Yeah, Jerrod and Naleek seem to want to come out a little early than normal." Margaret patted her stomach. "…So, Ellie, what are we gonna name him?" Rigby asked his wife out of the blue. Eileen mentally clapped her hand to her face; of course! How could she have forgotten about a name?!

"Oh boy, here comes the tough part…" Eileen blew an askew strand of her messy golden hair out of her face in frustration. "It was pretty hard naming the twins, but we got through it." Mordecai smiled as he put his arm around Margaret.

"Hmm…what about Harold?" Margaret suggested. The group shook their heads, "Nah, it's too original. What about Dirk?" Rigby suggested. Eileen and Margaret burst into a fit of giggles, "Eeww! No way!" Eileen cringed, laughing.

"Roger?" Eileen shrugged after her laughter had ceased. Rigby shook his head, "No way is my kid going to be called Roger!" He opposed. "Elijah?" Mordecai piped up. "We're getting warmer…maybe it can be his middle name?" Eileen said, caressing her son's fur gently. Mordecai shrugged, "Alright…what about Howard?"

"Howard," Eileen frowned slightly, trying to picture the name. "Howard Elijah…"She repeated. The mole turned to her husband, "Do you like it, Rigby?" "I'm cool with it. We could call him Howie for short or something." "Howie…Howard Elijah Salyers…I like it." Eileen leaned forward and pecked her husband's cheek. "It's cute," Margaret smiled. "I can't wait to be a mother," She thought, accidently thinking aloud.

Mordecai heard her desire and whispered into her ear, "You'll be a great mom," He kissed her softly. Margaret giggled and accepted the kiss, "I love you," then she mashed her beak into his. "You wanna hold him, Margaret?" Eileen said, holding her son out towards her friend. The cardinal hesitated at first, but after a reassuring glance from her husband, she gently positioned the infant raccoon in her arms, careful enough to support his head, back, and bottom.

"He's a big boy, strong just like his mommy and daddy." Margaret cooed. Howie giggled at the sight of the new person that held him. He prattled off more gibberish and closed his eyes, contently inserting his thumb into his mouth. "He's so sweet. You wanna hold him, Diaper Boy?" Margaret looked at her husband, then raised an eyebrow. The blue jay was staring directly at her large stomach.

"Um…Mordecai?" She laughed. He snapped back to reality, "Huh, wha-?" Mordecai asked. "I said, do you wanna hold Howie?" The cardinal rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, uh, sure." Margaret showed him where to support the baby and what was the proper way to hold him. Soon the blue jay was sitting in a chair, holding the tiny raccoon and smiling.

Rigby was getting a bit edgy. Now that he was a father, his paternal instincts were already kicking in and, although they were his friends, he was getting a little uncomfortable letting Mordecai and Margaret fuss over his son. He had enough. "Can I hold my kid now?" Rigby asked, sounding a tad bit impatient. "Sure dude," Mordecai handed Howie to Rigby and smirked, "I bet by next week you'll be begging me to hold him while you chug down truckloads of coffee and sugar to stay awake."

Margaret elbowed her husband in the ribs playfully, "Oh quiet you! They'll have plenty of coffee to go around, considering that's were Eileen works. She can probably sneak some coffee home after closing time." "Margaret!" Eileen blushed. "I would never do that!" "Is that why, when you were six months pregnant with Howie, you snuck some donuts into your pocket?" Eileen giggled at the memory, "Give me a break! I had really strong cravings…"

"Guest time is over for today, sorry. And, Mrs. Salyers? You and your baby will be released tomorrow morning so you can go ahead and head home." A nurse peeked into the room. Mordecai and Margaret looked at each other with a nod and said their goodbyes to Rigby, Eileen, and their baby, then they left to go return home.

By this time, Howie had already fallen asleep and was lying in a small bassinette that the hospital staff had provided for their time at the hospital. Even though it was against hospital authority, Rigby had snuggled up next to Eileen in the hospital bed, hands laced together.

"I love you, _**mommy**_. You better get used to that name." Rigby whispered into her ear jokingly.

Eileen smirked. "Oh yeah? Well, goodnight to you too, _**daddy**_."

(( **So, what did'ja think? Huh? Huh? Did'ja like it? Do I need to make any changes? Anything? Yes? No? ….I'm wearing my keyboard out by using all these question marks. ****XD**

…**.Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the very first (and short ****=/=****) chapter of my newest (and hopefully next most well-liked ****^^;****) story!** ))


	2. The 'Next' Mordecai and Rigby

Margaret sat at her vanity, flipping through several channels on the TV. She could hardly even see the screen due to her protuberant pregnant stomach. She sighed; nothing good was on anyway.

She turned the TV off and waddled into the kitchen to fix herself a snack. She whipped up a quick meal of Fettuccine Alfredo and sat back down to eat her meal. "Why do I have the sudden craving for bacon dipped in maple syrup?" Margaret mused. She glanced at her large stomach and frowned, "Why do you two change your mind every time I sit down to eat?" A subtle kick responded to her question.

"Okay, you win." Margaret pushed her plate away and sipped at her diet coke. The door suddenly opened, revealing Mordecai, who was tattered from head to toe. Margaret gasped and quickly rushed to her husband, her stomach slowing her down a bit. "Oh, honey! What happened to you?!" "Well, to make a really, really long story short…me and Rigby were attacked by an army of evil lawn gnomes. Crazy, I know." The blue jay shrugged.

"Well, at least you're okay." Margaret hugged him, but he pulled away. "Mags, what's wrong?" Mordecai asked in concern. "Just a little tired." The cardinal sighed. "I think I'll go take a shower." She stepped away from Mordecai and trudged up the stairs, her legs buckling each time.

"Ugh. You guys really enjoy mommy when she's in pain, don't you?" Margaret chuckled to herself, wincing in pain as she undressed herself. She was having slight cramps eating away at her lower abdomen ever since that morning. Her vomiting had increased and her appetite had ceased to the point where she could barely drink any water. It wasn't very pleasant.

The red bird twisted the knobs, watching as a shower of water spit out of the hand-held shower nozzle. She immersed herself into the shower and let the lukewarm water submerge her. Margaret looked down at her large belly that contained her twin babies; sighing, she rubbed her belly, trying to ease the twins' rapid kicking. "Easy there, you're hurting mommy, sweeties," She murmured.

However, the twins continued to kick, as if something was wrong. Another dart of pain shot through her abdomen, this time much more painful than the others. "Mordecai!" Margaret cried as she turned off the water and grabbed a towel to hide her more intimate parts. She winced again, "Ouch!" At that same moment, Margaret shrieked at the sight; although she had turned off the water, a strange liquid began to leak out of her and pool around the soles of her feet.

She tried to stem the flow, but realized that she wasn't peeing…her water had broken! Several seconds later, the bathroom door flew open. Mordecai rushed to his wife's aid, "What's wrong? Are you and the babies okay?!" He asked. Margaret flinched in pain as another strong contraction struck her, "Yeah, we're just peaches and cream! You idiot! I'm in freakin' labor! TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL!"

Mordecai gulped, "You're probably gonna have to put some clothes o-" "It doesn't matter! They won't be necessary! Just take me to the hospital before I snap your neck!" The red bird moaned. Mordecai nodded and escorted her outside to the car, muttering curse words to himself.

"You doing alright, Eileen?" Rigby asked as he helped guide his wife out of the hospital bed. Like the doctor had promised, the couple and their new child were released from the hospital and were allowed to finally go home. "Yeah, I'm fine," The mole girl smiled. Tiny whimpers came from the bassinette, urging the new mother to head over and see what the fuss was about.

"Aw, what's wrong, Howie?" Eileen cooed down at her fretful son. The tiny raccoon made a small lisp sound, and then cooed up at his mother. "There we go, no tears; just dreams. It looks like you just wanted some attention." She stroked his tears away. "Hey Rigby, do you wanna hold him?" Eileen gestured to her husband.

"Sure," She passed the baby to Rigby. "Hey there little dude," The raccoon smiled down at his son, drawing a babyish chuckle. "Come on Ellie, let's go home. I wanna show Howie the world of video games." Eileen giggled as she picked up her maternity bag, "Another Rigby…hmm…I think one is enough," She smirked. Rigby rolled his eyes, "Whatever," He laughed a bit.

Just before they could make it out the door, Rigby's phone began to ring and buzz urgently. Rigby groaned, "Stop calling me, mom," He flipped his phone opened and said into the speaker, "Yo, this is Rigby speakin'," "Rigby! Margaret's in pain! I don't know if she's in labor, or what, but she was leaking water earlier!" Mordecai's voice squawked.

Rigby winced a bit at the loudness of his friend's voice, but then calmly said, "Okay…where are you guys?" "They're checking her over right now. I swear if something happens to her or the babies I'll-" "Just chill, dude. Me and Eileen will meet you guys down there in a few." Rigby then promptly hung up.

"Who was that?" Eileen asked as she was tending to Howie's needs. The raccoon shrugged, "I dunno. Mordecai said that Margaret went into lab-" "Margaret's having the twins?! Oh my gosh! That is so exciting! And a day after Howie's birthday! How ironic is tha-" "We need to get down there as quick as possible. Mordo's in hysterics and he's having another meltdown. And you know how melodramatic he can get."

"Oh, poor guy. And Margaret really shouldn't be due for another week or so," Eileen pursed her lips as she fed Howie a bottle of her milk. "Let's go; my bro needs me." Rigby grabbed their luggage and ushered his wife and child out of the room towards the front desk downstairs.

Mordecai paced around the waiting room with a sense of agitation lingering around him. Fear gripped at his heart and was slowly eroding away at his nerves. A million questions entered his mind at the speed of light.

_What if…_

_What if…_

_What if…_

Over and over, it played relentlessly in his mind like a broken record player. It was very unnerving for him; especially since his wife was carrying twins. The slightest problem could turn into a disaster that could end fatally.

"Mordecai! Mordecai!" An all-too-familiar voice hollered. "We came as fast as we could! Where's Margaret?" Eileen asked, holding Howie close to her. "They're still checking her out." Mordecai sighed, slumping down into a chair. His nerves had already worn him out, and by the looks of it, he seemed like he hadn't blinked in hours.

"Don't worry dude. I'm sure she and the babies are fine." Rigby assured. The raccoon looked at his friend. He was texting Benson and the others, asking them to come to the hospital immediately. Eileen took a seat next to Rigby, one hand intertwined with his, while the other held her sleeping son as they waited.

And they waited.

Mordecai was about to lose it when a nurse suddenly walked into the room. "Are you…Mordecai Quintel?" She inquired, seeming cautious at first. "Yes!" Mordecai shot up as if he had practiced it over hundreds of times before. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but your wife appears to have gone into labor. Her water broke, right?" "Yeah, she was taking a shower then it broke." Mordecai confirmed.

The nurse nodded, "Ah, alright. Come with me if you'd like to see your wife." "O-okay," Mordecai followed the nurse down the hallway until they reached a certain room. The nurse pulled back the sanitary/privacy curtain, revealing Margaret lying in a bed, clothed in a hospital gown as she cringed in pain. Once she saw Mordecai, she heaved a sigh of relief and uttered with a husky, fatigued voice, "Mordecai!"

"Hey Maggie," Mordecai smiled as he approached his wife and kneeled down next to the bedside. "How're you feelin', baby?" He gently stroked her cheek. "Not so good," She wheezed, puffing out short intakes of breath. "Oh God…this hurts a lot more than I thought it would!" The cardinal winced.

"I know, babe…I know…" He began to rub comforting circles in her shoulders in a way to help ease the pain, "I'm sorry you're hurting so much…" "It's okay…" Margaret panted, smiling a bit. "Aah geez!" The pain came flooding back to her with a vengeance. "You know…I've heard that there is another way that you can have the baby so it won't hurt as much. A water birth, I think it's called…" Mordecai suggested, smiling at his wife.

Margaret moaned, "Whatever is best to help ease the pain. And Mordecai?" Mordecai looked at her, waiting for her question. "I'm sorry for yelling at you at the house earlier. I love you." "Apology accepted, I just want one thing in return." "What is that, if I may ask?" The cardinal smirked. Their beaks connected almost instantly as they shared a sentimental kiss.

When the kiss ended, Margaret recoiled as another contraction rolled through her, "I'll go get the nurse and see if they can get a bath ready for you." Mordecai pecked her forehead and left to go fetch the nurse.

"I wonder how she's holding up in there."

Eileen bit her lip self-consciously; it had been over an hour since Mordecai had left with the nurse. She had a sinking feeling in the pits of her stomach that made her even more apprehensive than before. "I wish we could just go see her already." The mole sighed. Rigby held her hand tightly, "I bet she's doing okay. I mean, she's having Mordecai's kids. He's so laid-back and casual." "But didn't his mother get a scar from giving birth to him? What if that happens while she's having one of the twins?"

Rigby shrugged and sighed, "I don't know what to tell you, Eileen. We'll just have to hope for the best I guess," A small yawn signaled that Howie had woken up. He smiled up at his parents, hoping for a reaction. However, the only thing he saw was that his mother was crying and his father looked a little depressed. Howie whined a bit, and then did the only logical thing he could do next: he fell back asleep.

"Rigby? Eileen?" A voice spoke. The couple lifted their heads to see Benson, Skips, Pops, Thomas, and the rest of the crew walking up to them. "We got Mordecai's texts…is Margaret really having the baby?" Benson asked, his eyes lighting up. "Apparently, yes." Rigby nodded. "Mordecai went up there an hour ago to coach her through the labor, but nothing's happened yet." Eileen explained.

"Well, while we're here…can we see your baby, Eileen?" Starla cooed, her gaze was fixed on Howie, much to Muscle Man's jealousy. "Of course! Meet little Howard Elijah Salyers," Eileen said with triumph as Starla and Audrey crowded around her to see the baby.

"So, how far are you now, Mags?"

Margaret rubbed her large belly as she lay in a large tub filled with warm water. "The doctor said I escalated about four centimeters, so I'm almost eight centimeters dilated now." Mordecai nodded, "Do you mean me to get anything for you? Anything at all?" He asked. "I know of one thing that you can do…" She grabbed his arm and pulled him close to her face, "Don't ever put another baby inside of me." Margaret said darkly.

Mordecai gulped and nodded. "I-I won't! I promise!" Margaret let go of him just as another contraction hit her. "Ahh…ouch! These kids really do not like me," The red bird cringed. Then, the doctor entered the room. She was a swan; an elderly swan, to be exact. She looked very professional, but she had a smile on her face.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Quintel. So today's the day, huh?" The doctor grinned as she took a seat next to the tub. "Yep," Margaret looked at her stomach and began to breath heavily. "Alright now. How far apart are your contractions?" "Not very far. I'm getting really close." Margaret groaned.

"Alright. Let's see now," The doctor checked Margaret over. "You're right. You're almost there. You'll probably be ready to deliver in a few minutes. I'll be back in a while, alright?" She smiled and left the room. Mordecai looked at his wife, "We'll be parents in a few minutes…" He uttered. "Yeah, I know, it's weird," Margaret agreed, punctuating her sentence with a grunt.

"He's so sweet," Starla giggled as she held Howie in her arms. The small raccoon was playing with her hair and sucking on her pigtails. "Aww, you and Rigby made such a cute baby!" Audrey crooned. "Thanks," Eileen smiled as she held Rigby's hand, "This guy helped." She smirked. Rigby rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. My son's not cute! …He's cool." The raccoon stated. The girls giggled just as a doctor walked up to Rigby and Eileen. "Are you… Mr. and Mrs. Salyers? Mordecai Quintel's friends?" She asked inquisitively. "Yes…" Eileen had a sick feeling deep down in her stomach at these words. The doctor smiled, "Well, we can allow two visitors in the room during the delivery. Who would like to go and support the soon-to-be parents?"

"…Let Eileen and Rigby go. They're the family's best friends and they're the babies' godparents." Audrey said, Starla agreeing with her. "Yeah, we can watch Howie while they go." The green woman grinned. "Are you sure, you guys?" Eileen asked, blushing. "Go ahead! I'm sure Margaret would prefer you over me or Starla anyways." Audrey reasoned.

"Yeah, you go ahead, we'll take care of Howie." Benson smiled. Eileen grinned, "Thanks guys! C'mon, Rigby, let's go before she has the twins!" Rigby nodded and helped his wife up, then they walked together down the hall towards Margaret's room, where loud screaming could be heard.

"AAAHHHHH!" Margaret screeched loudly as she felt one of the twins trying to come out. "Oh God! This hurts! Make it stop!" The cardinal yelped. Mordecai held her hand, grasping it tightly, "Calm down Mags! It'll be okay," He soothed. Margaret glared at him, "Oh really?! Have you ever tried squeezing a living thing out of your body?!" She screamed as she felt another dagger of pain rip through her.

"Margaret!" Eileen's voice was heard from behind the door. At that moment, the door flew open, and in came Rigby carrying Eileen bridal-style, due to the fact she could hardly walk. "Margaret! We came as fast as we could," The mole girl said as Rigby set her down next to the tub. "Oh Eileen! I'm so glad you guys could make it," The red bird hugged her friend tightly. "And just in time too, I think one of them is coming out now!" She exclaimed, wincing.

"Thanks for coming, dude, this means a lot." Mordecai said, smiling as he thanked the stars. He sounded so much more relieved now that his best friend was there to support him. "Don't mention it, buddy. I'd do anything for my bro," The raccoon smirked.

"Don't mean to break up the bromance, but," Margaret whimpered, "They're coming! And I'm serious this time! Get the nurse, or doctor…or…whatever! Just get someone!" "R-right!" Mordecai rushed out of the room and yelled into the hallway, "Someone help! My wife's having the babies!" Many people shot him awkward glances until one person spoke up, "I'm a doctor!"

"Then get in here and help us, please!" Mordecai shouted. The man nodded and followed Mordecai into the room. "So who's having the baby?" "Me," Margaret put her hand up, only for it to fall onto her forehead. "Oowww!" "Let me check how far you are," He said. He examined Margaret thoroughly and confirmed, "Yes, I think it's time to begin pushing. On three: one, two, three, push!"

Margaret threw back her head and let out a cry so loud it could've been considered a scream. As she began to push, she felt something sharp hit her which made her shout louder. The doctor checked her again and realized that one of the twins was coming out rear-first, "Oh no…that's not good," The man sighed. "W-what? What's not good?!" Margaret asked. "It seems that one of your babies is coming out rear-first. Not to worry, though; I've dealt with this sort of conundrum before." The doctor assured.

After a few careful movements, the doctor was able to flip the baby over in a way that would make it easier to deliver. It wasn't long before the first baby came spilling out of his mother, wailing loudly as he took his first breaths. Mordecai breathed a sigh of relief while his wife did the same. Rigby fainted at the sight of the blood.

"Oh Rigby," Eileen laughed as she tended to her unconscious husband. "There he is," The doctor grinned, holding up the bloody and very pink baby bird. "It's a boy." "Little Jerrod Marduk," Mordecai smiled at the sight of his son. "He's beautiful," Eileen commented. "Would the father like to cut the cord?" The doctor asked. Mordecai nodded hesitantly and watched in careful admission as the man showed him how to cut the cord off properly. The small baby bird continued to chirp and whimper for the very first time as the doctor went to clean him up.

"You did it, Maggie," Mordecai kissed his wife's forehead; "There's our baby. You just got one more to go." Margaret weakly nodded and smiled as she closed her eyes to relax for a moment. Rigby finally started to come to, "Wha- huh? Where am I? What happened?" He asked, rubbing his temples. "You fainted while Margaret was having the baby." Eileen laughed.

"Ohh man, I need to lie down for a sec," The raccoon curled up into a ball on the hard floor just as the doctor returned with the baby bird, wrapped in a terrycloth blanket. "Here we go," He handed the child to Margaret. "Here's your baby boy. We'll have to wait a while before the next child can be delivered."

Margaret peeled the blankets back, rivers of tears cascading down her face. Although it was still a tad bit too early to tell; the small bird had slightly reddish-looking feathers that were still developing on his wrinkled pink skin. "Oh Mordecai, he's gorgeous," The cardinal croaked. She looked at her husband and noticed that tears were rolling down his face.

"Are you…crying?" Margaret stifled back a chuckle. Mordecai hastily wiped his tears away, but that didn't stop his waterworks. "He's…beautiful…" The blue jay smiled, sniffling. "Can I see him?" Eileen asked. Margaret nodded and gestured the baby towards her friend, who squealed softly, "Oh, he's so pretty! It looks like he'll have your feather colors, Margaret."

"I know," Margaret smiled. The small baby bird began to open his eyes for the first time. "Hey there little guy. I'm your mommy." She kissed the top of his forehead. "Your name is Jerrod Marduk Quintel. Welcome to the world." The cardinal murmured. Mordecai was still speechless; he couldn't believe that he had a son, and soon he would have a daughter. He shook his head in disbelief, smiling widely at the thought.

Suddenly, a quiet rapping was heard at the door. It opened, revealing the whole park family. Benson, Skips, Pops, Muscle Man, Starla, High Five Ghost, Audrey, and even Thomas had tagged along. "We heard silence, so we figured that the baby was here." Benson softened when he saw Margaret holding the baby and held Audrey's hand tightly. He had found out not too long ago that Audrey was pregnant as well. She was almost three months and only showing a bit.

"Come on over and see him, he won't bite ya," Mordecai laughed, beckoning the group to come closer. Everyone 'aww'ed at the new addition to the park family. Even Muscle Man and Skips showed the twinge of a small smile. "He's adorable," Starla cooed. "Mitch, will you give me a baby soon?" She asked her fiancé. Muscle Man gulped, "Uh…" Everybody laughed at his reaction, which prompted the baby to wake up. He immediately began to wail.

"Shh…shhh…it's okay, you're okay…no tears..." Margaret soothed, removing her son's faint tears as she lightly bounced him up and down. His wailing ceased to soft whimpering as he nuzzled into his mother's chest. Margaret looked at her husband, "You want to hold him, Diaper Boy?"

Mordecai nodded and took Jerrod from his mother's arms. The blue jay looked down at the small baby in his arms; indeed, he looked so much like his father, although his feathers were identified to be a light red color. Jerrod gazed up at his father, blinking in curiosity. Mordecai smiled and held his son close to him, drawing 'awwws' from everyone in the room.

Margaret smiled at the precious sight, but winced, "Ah! Oh..I think the next baby is coming…" This alerted the doctor and he began to shoo everyone out of the room. He kneeled down in front of Margaret and put his hands into the water, "Alright, Mrs. Quintel, go ahead and push."

Margaret did as she was told and pushed with all her might. She could slightly feel the baby leaving her body until a small 'pop' told everyone that the next and last baby had emerged into the world. The doctor lifted her out of the water and held the bloody, screaming baby girl above her mother. "It's a girl!" He announced.

"Oh, my sweet baby girl," More tears fled from Margaret's eyes and blinded her vision. Mordecai wiped her tears away, smiling widely as he held his son tightly. "She's beautiful, just like her mother," He kissed her forehead. Like with the first baby, Mordecai cut his daughter's umbilical cord and watched as the doctor carried her off to clean her.

Mordecai glanced at his wife and noticed that she had fallen asleep. He smiled; she deserved her rest. He kissed her forehead for a final time just as the doctor returned with the baby, "And here's your daughter. Perfectly healthy, just like her brother. That's quite remarkable for twin babies who are born a week early." He handed the pink bundle to Mordecai and said, "I'll leave you two…err…four, alone for now." He congratulated Mordecai, then, as he promised, left the room.

"Hey there, Naeleek Madison," Mordecai cooed to his new daughter, "I'm your dad. But you can just call me daddy, if you want." Naeleek's eyes had already opened for the first time, revealing deep blue eyes, and exact copy of her father's. "Wow, you have my eyes," By this time, Mordecai was in full crying mode, letting his waterworks flow. "I'm a dad…" He repeated to himself.

He watched with pure astonishment as the twins began to interact with each other. Jerrod was staring at his sister in curiosity while she stared right back, making direct eye contact. After a momentary staring contest, Jerrod let out a coo. Seconds later, Naeleek did the same thing back.

"You guys are so funny." Mordecai chuckled, stroking Naeleek's forehead. "The next Mordecai and Rigby." He smirked.

(( **I know, it was a pretty short chapter and it was late. Sorry about that! I wanted to make it longer, but I kinda ran out of ideas. ****^^; ****I hope you liked it anyway! ****:D** ))


	3. Chapter 3

Life as We Know It, Chapter Three

(( **So here we are with a new chapter. Sorry if the last chapter sucked! I promise it will get better soon! And thanks so much for all the positive reviews and the followers/favers (**_**I DON'T CARE IF IT'S NOT A WORD**_**)! It really means a lot to me and I appreciate it so much! I am beyond happy and inspired. Please keep the nice reviews coming, and you'll get s'more chapters in return!** ))

~X~

Before becoming parents, Mordecai and Margaret had enjoyed being immersed in the warm morning rays of the sun and then having a nice, long cuddle together while they cherished the last moments of their nighttime rest as they prepared to face the day. But on their first morning as mom and dad, it became clear that those days were over when their wake-up call came in the form of a sound instead: A loud, hungry, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Automatically being coerced out of bed by the infant's screeches of immediate attention, Margaret wearily undid her nightgown, lifted her wailing daughter out of the bassinette, and began giving the baby bird her early morning breakfast.

"Geez, you're just like your daddy. You like to eat all the time, Naely," Margaret chuckled, holding out a finger to her nursing daughter, who involuntarily wrapped her small wing around Margaret's finger. Margaret swayed gently from side to side as she fed Naeleek.

Even in the dimness of the dark bedroom, Margaret could faintly see the growing lavender-colored feathers that were just beginning to sprout on her daughter's pink, wrinkled skin. She smiled. "She's so much like her daddy. Same eye color, same hyperactive personality, and now she even has a little bit of Mordecai's coloring. I guess the old saying is true; like father, like daughter." The cardinal mused, giggling to herself a bit.

After a short feeding session, Margaret tentatively laid her daughter back in the bassinette, right next to her sleeping brother. Naeleek and Jerrod had been inseparable since birth; it was rare when they didn't mind to be apart from one another. As Margaret laid her down, Jerrod felt his sister's presence and let out a small coo, snuggling closer to her as Naeleek did the same. "So precious…" Margaret gushed quietly, stroking her daughter's developing hair, "They sleep just like lambs."

Margaret surreptitiously slid into bed, careful not to wake her sleeping husband. Very discreetly, she planted a petite kiss on his beak. However, she was surprised when Mordecai took her by surprise and flipped her over, turning the small kiss into a long, passionate make-out session. When their beaks parted, Margaret murmured, "I love you," She nestled into the crook of his neck as she lay on his chest. "I love you more than life itself," The blue jay rubbed her back. Their lips connected once again, and after a few more kisses, they both settled down and decided to save the excitement for another time.

"So, how are you feeling? Y'know, there has to be after-effects after giving birth." Mordecai asked, stroking Margaret's hair. The cardinal sighed, "Let's just say…I've been having the heaviest period of my life for the past few days." "…That's it? That doesn't seem too bad." Mordecai replied.

"Oh really? Well, aside from pretty much all my innards from the waist down feeling like they've been tossed into a meat grinder and maimed to death, my privates as though someone took sandpaper to them, and my brain as though it's been awake for a week, just fine," Margaret laughed. Mordecai kissed her head, "At least your sense of humor is still flowing well."

"Goodnight, Diaper Boy."

"'Night, Mags."

Just as the couple closed their eyes to once again drift off to sleep, a well-known, piercing wail rattled the house. Margaret sighed, "More like good luck. It's your turn," She pulled the covers away and shoved Mordecai lightly, only to find that he was fast asleep. "Ohh…fine, you win this time," The cardinal shook her head in disbelief and got up to tend to the twins once again.

~X~

[_Meanwhile, a few neighborhoods away…_]

Eileen was just getting up. It was about six AM in the morning, and it was time for her to perform her generic morning rituals to prepare for the day. She felt the side of the bed that Rigby usually slept on and couldn't feel him laying there.

She stood up from the bed and stretched, then went to the crib to fetch her son. She gasped when she realized that Howie wasn't inside the crib! This worried her. Grabbing her robe, Eileen rushed down the hallway into the living room. She could distinctly hear the sound of one of Rigby's video games playing. As she approached the living room, she saw Rigby's ears poking up from behind the sofa and could hear Howie's cooing and babbling.

Eileen sighed in relief. She came closer and nearly melted at the sight; Rigby was sitting on the sofa, tuned into his video game while Howie laid atop a baby blanket, mindlessly watching his father play the game. The pretty, multi-colored pixels on the TV screen was enough to make Howie shriek with glee.

"Daddy's little man," Eileen cooed. She said it loud enough for Rigby to hear. "Eileen? What are you doing up so early?" Rigby turned around, pausing his game to take a look at his beautiful wife. It made his heart grow wings and soar to see that she didn't have her glasses on right now. In his eyes, she looked like an angel without a halo who had fallen from heaven.

Eileen stroked her messy hair out of her face, smiling sheepishly, "I-I was just gonna make some coffee. You want some?" She asked, blushing slightly. "Sure. I could go for some caw-feeee! What about you, Howie? Do you think Daddy should have some coffee?" Rigby glanced at his son, who squeaked happily in response. The raccoon quickly said, "He agrees. Maybe when he's old enough, like two or something, we could give him some coffee in his bottle."

Eileen looked at him as if he was crazy and laughed, "What? No! He'll get all hyper," The mole giggled. "What? My mom did it to me when I was, like, two!" Rigby pouted. "Yeah, and I'll bet you were bouncing off the walls." She countered, smirking. The raccoon mumbled to himself and returned to his game, "Yeah yeah,"

The mole rolled her eyes playfully as she walked into the kitchen, mentally shaking her head at how lax her husband occasionally was. She remembered when he was always like that. Eileen fixed herself a bowl of cereal and prepared two mugs of coffee, then brought it into the living room when it was heated. "Here honey," She handed a mug to Rigby. He immediately chugged it down, nearly drinking it all in a single draught.

"Thanks Ellie," After he finished his coffee, Rigby kissed his wife's cheek, earning a pleasant blush from the little mole girl. When her blushed died down, Eileen noticed her son's mouth was making suckling movements. She noticed that Howie's pacifier was on the ground next to his blanket and he was squirming, trying to reach his pacifier.

"Aww, come here little guy," Eileen popped the pacifier back into his mouth and lifted Howie into her arms. Drool rolled down Howie's chin as he smiled winsomely and began to blow delighted bubbles of spit. Rigby grimaced a bit, "Eeeww…sometimes he can be really gross." The raccoon gagged. Eileen looked at her slobbering son, "You're too cute to be called gross. Isn't that right, Howie?"

Howie gurgled in agreement.

"He's still cool, I guess." Rigby smirked. "He's your son; of course he's cool." Eileen smiled. "Are you kidding me? I was the most unpopular dork in school. I'm not even close to cool." Rigby deadpanned, followed by a scoff. "You're cooler than cool in my book." Eileen elbowed him in the ribs. "Thanks Eileen," Rigby smiled, but only lightly. He sipped at his coffee again and turned his game back on. "I kinda miss having Mordo around. I almost miss getting beaten by him at games." Rigby sighed.

"Don't worry Rigby; its Mordecai's birthday next week, and we're hosting it at the park. You'll get to see him and the twins then." Eileen assured, patting his back. "Fiiine…" Rigby went back to his game. "In the meantime, you could pass the time by taking care of Howie while I get ready for work." Eileen passed Howie to Rigby, interrupting the game which made Rigby instantly lose.

"Wait, what?! You never told me you had a shift today!" Rigby looked down at his babbling son, "Life's unfair." The raccoon pouted. "Blllrrrp," Howie gushed, putting his tiny paw on his father's cheek. "Have a nice day, daddy. I'm gonna go take a shower." Eileen made her way to the bathroom.

"…You'll go easy on daddy today, won't you, Howie?" Rigby asked his son, internally begging for a 'yes'. Howie blinked, his mouth unconsciously agape as his pacifier fell from his mouth. The raccoon sighed, "I sure hope that's a yes."

~X~

(( **Liked it? Loved it? Hated it more than over-ripe bananas? Please R&R, and suggestions are highly appreciated! ****:3** ))


	4. Father and Son 'Bonding Time'

**Life as We Know It, Chapter Four**

"Hey Howie, watch this."

Howie squeaked in delight as he watched his father defeat the villains on the TV screen. "BAM! They just got owned!" Rigby shouted, slapping the air with his hand. Howie celebrated by squealing again loudly. "And Eileen thought that letting me watch my own kid for a few hours would be hard. I'm the world's best dad. I'm just a pro, period." The raccoon crossed his arms shrewdly to make his point.

Suddenly, the littlest raccoon began to wail, turning the once happy and cheerful baby Howie into a whirling wind of emotions. "Uh….don't cry, Howie! …Oh! Right! You must be hungry! I bet your mom left some breastmilk in the fridge." Rigby made a mad dash for the kitchen and scavenged throughout the fridge.

"Come on, come on…AHA!" He seized a bottle of the already-prepared breastmilk and rushed back into the living room to find Howie screeching loudly, wanting to be fed. "Shh," Rigby picked his son up and cradled him in his arms as he aimed the bottle towards the smaller raccoon's mouth. Howie, however, screwed his face up and turned away, refusing to be fed.

"Aw come on! I thought you were hungry!" Rigby moaned. His son whimpered. Rigby sighed, "I know you want your mom's lady pecs to suck on, but you really don't have any more choices here!" He said softly, trying not to be forceful. Still, Howie declined yet again.

"What was that technique that my mom used on me again…oh, yeah!" Rigby suddenly came up with an idea. "You're gonna drink your boob milk, whether you like it or not!" He exclaimed. Howie refused again, staring blankly at his father, lips sealed. "Hmm, I guess you're not hungry then. Oh well, I guess this milk will have to go to waste." Rigby feigned a fake sigh as he was about to dump the milk into a nearby trashcan.

Howie fell for his father's prank and whined, making grabby hand motions at the air. "Ohh, so you do want your milk, huh?" Rigby smirked. He gently placed the bottle into Howie's mouth, and, much to his delight, Howie began to suckle. "Atta boy!" The elder raccoon praised. "Just like his old man. A chip off the old block."

After a short feeding session, Howie finished his milk and was then laid down next to his father, nestled in between Rigby's arm as they watched TV together. Five minutes later, Howie began to get very, very fussy. He squirmed and kicked the air softly, making whimpering noises of discomfort. "W-what's wrong? Are you hungry again? Did you…crap your diaper?" Rigby asked, grimacing at the last part.

Howie then began to cry again, loudly wailing like any other infant in distress. "Uuhh…" Rigby lifted his son up and held him at arm's length, "I don't know what's wrong with you! You don't reek or anything, and you had nearly an entire bottle of milk, what's the problem?!" Rigby frantically asked.

Howie merely continued to wail. "Uh…" Rigby began to bounce him up and down gently. Howie cried louder. "M-maybe you wanna watch something else on TV?" The elder raccoon quickly changed the channel from Monster Truck Raiders to Cuddly Bear and the Sunshine Squad.

Howie instantly stopped crying as the brightly-colored characters on the TV screen bedazzled him. He silently watched the show, occasionally letting out cute baby chuckles from time to time. "Ugh, I hate this show. Can't we watch something else?" He was about to grab the remote when Howie let out a shriek. "Fiiine…we'll watch the stupid show."

After twenty-two minutes of "pure torment", the program finally ended, much to Rigby's delight. "Finally. I thought that would never end." The raccoon sank lower into the sofa as his son giggled. Things didn't end there, as a pungent odor quickly assaulted Rigby's nostrils. He dreaded this moment oh-so much.

"Hooowiiieee….seriously?" Rigby groaned. Howie began to sniffle as his diaper quickly grew uncomfortably and he once again started to wail. "Fine…I'll change your diaper. But I warn you! That's one thing I'm _**not**_ a pro at." Howie's wailing ceased and suddenly, he burst into a fit of small giggles. "Don't look so smug. You're not the one who has to wipe your sticky butt." Rigby said teasingly as he carried his son down the hallway.

"Okay, let's see what we can do here…"

Rigby took a deep breath as he looked at the assortment of baby products in front of him. "There's so many…I can't do this!" He winced. "No! You can! You _**CAN!**_ Do this!" His subconsciousness shouted to him. "Okay…here we go."

…

"AWW SICK! Howie, what was in that milk?!"

The smaller raccoon merely giggled at his father's ultimate disgust. His reaction was priceless; well, that's what Howie thought. Rigby, still sickened, proceeded with the task at hand. Holding his breath, he quickly removed the dirty diaper and immediately discarded of it. Then, he maneuvered a series of moist towelettes over the younger raccoon's rear end until he was assured it was completely clean.

A liberal quantity of baby oil, followed by a considerable amount of baby powder was applied and soon a fresh, brand new diaper was affixed to the younger raccoon's body. Rigby looked at the now much cleaner and calmer Howie; it was his first time, but he had to admit, he had done a pretty good job.

"There," Rigby breathed. "Done. I swear; Eileen will be doing the diaper changes from now on." He picked his son up and carried him back into the living room, then smiled at him, "You wanna go play on your playmat?" Howie's eyes lit up. That was enough to tell the older raccoon that he, indeed, wanted to.

"Okay buddy, here ya go." Rigby placed his son onto the mat, positioning him on his stomach. "Come on buddy, try and crawl around!" His son, however, was like a limp rag on the floor. Rigby sighed and shrugged, "It was worth a shot. We'll try again when you're older." He then flipped Howie onto his back, propping his neck up with a stuffed animal.

"Here Howie, here's your ducky," Rigby gave a small stuffed duck plushie to his son, smiling with satisfactory as his son gave a tiny smile at the new toy. "Y'know, that used to be daddy's when he was your age. His name is Baby Duck. It used to be Charlie, but I changed it." He laughed.

Howie blinked and put the duck's foot into his mouth, staring off into space absently as he slobbered all over the toy. "That's exactly what I first did when my mom gave it to me." Rigby chuckled to himself, remembering his past.

**Flashback:**

_Newly-born Rigby, almost two weeks old, was lying in his cradle, gurgling as two large figures peered down at him. "Rise and shine, sweetie. Hi there. It's mommy and daddy." Rigby's mother, Roses, cooed down at her son. Rigby squeaked as his mother lowered her hand into the cot, prickling his small, footsie-pajama-covered foot with her finger. _

_Little Rigby giggled insanely, squirming around as he smiled happily. "Oh, he's just precious, isn't he Dudley?" Roses asked her husband, who was standing nearby. Dudley adjusted his large, geeky glasses and smiled, "He certainly is. He takes after his mother's looks. Maybe he'll be just as smart as I am one day."_

"_Hel-o, precious," Roses crooned. Rigby noticed that she reached down and grabbed something, and then she began to lower it into the crib. "Mommy has a special gift for you from the both of us." The newborn raccoon bubbled and cackled with delight as a small, yellow, fuzzy object was placed right next to him._

"_It's your very first toy, and he's all yours to keep for as long as you'd like. He'll keep you safe and protect you from the ugly monsters underneath your crib. You can even name him all by yourself. Do you like him, sweetie?" Roses explained in an almost whisper-like voice. Not having any idea what was going on, Rigby inserted the duck's wing into his mouth, gumming on the fabric._

**Present time**

Rigby snapped back to reality, realizing how long he had been mesmerizing his old recollections of his past. Howie was fast asleep on his playmat, one arm gripped limply around the stuffed duck's torso. A small rivulet of drool coursed down the sleeping raccoon's chin to fall wetly onto his chest.

Rigby rolled his eyes playfully, "He really is a mini me as a kid. Hopefully he'll be as smart as Eileen, though," He laughed at the thought of having "another" Rigby in the house. "Now that'd be somethin' funny to see."

(( **I'm probably the worst at ending stories and leaving a good cliffhanger. But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed another addition to my story! The story may seem pretty bland right now, but don't you guys worry! There will be plenty of Morderet in future chapters, and here are some spoilers:**

**-The next chapter will be about Mordecai's birthday (it's his twenty-sixth; yes, this story takes place in the future)**

**-Audrey's baby shower (remember in chapter two, where it said that Audrey was three months pregnant? Well, in chapter five, I'll do a time skip to where Howie, Jerrod, and Naeleek are four months old, and Audrey will be seven months pregnant with Benson's child.)**

**-Howie, Jerrod, and Naleek's first birthdays (will happen at around chapters 6 through 7! Afterall, they were each born only a day apart from each other!) **

**Suggestions and requests are always open! Feel free to PM me if you'd like. ****:)**

**KudleyFan93, out!** ))


	5. A Birthday to Remember

(( **Note: This chapter is a week later from where we last left off.** ))

**Life as We Know It, Chapter Five**

Margaret awoke to the sound of her babies crying. She sighed; now that she was a mother, it wasn't unusual to wake up to this particular sound. She lay in bed next to her sleeping husband, knotted with brittle frustration. Today was Mordecai's birthday, and the last thing she needed to add to her extreme stress level was waking up to her children's cries of urgent attention.

Reluctantly, the cardinal slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Mordecai. It was his birthday, afterall, and he had been a helping hand with tending to the twins. He deserved a day off on his special day…that included sleeping in for a couple of hours.

Margaret wearily undid her nightgown and bra, then lifted up her son as she positioned him towards his "breakfast". Much to Margaret's chagrin, Jerrod eagerly latched onto her teat and began to greedily suckle down her milk. The red bird sighed, "My breasts are getting a little sore over this. Do you guys really have to pinch me while you eat?" Her son ignored her and continued to nurse, contentedly.

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about setting up a party for Mordecai or anything. It's a good thing everyone at the park is already getting the surprise party ready." Margaret thought. She sat down onto the end of the bed, contemplating what she could do personally for her husband on his special day.

Back before they became parents and not too long after they were married, Mordecai would always be woken to the aroma of his favorite breakfast treat wafting up to his room. Margaret always made his favorite; blackberry and banana pancakes topped with chocolate chips and a side of breakfast potatoes and bacon. Not only that, but she would even include a heart-shaped omelet with parsley toppings that was shaped to look like an arrow going through the "heart". For the finale, she would serve him a candy buttercup filled with honey and buttermilk tea, one of his old-time favorites.

But things had changed, and not for the worst. Afterall, in their wedding vows, they swore that they would forever be together, in sickness and health, in rich or for poor, and for better or worse. Margaret was suddenly snapped out of her senses when her son made a quiet peep that signaled his hunger had finally been satisfied. She laid the baby bird back into the cot, only for Naeleek to be set off.

Margaret internally ripped her hair out. Sighing, she lifted Naeleek up as well and quickly changed her dirty diaper, fed her, then put her back to sleep as well. "Finally. Now maybe I can at last get some sle-" Margaret suddenly heard her phone going off.

~_When you're lost and alone_

_And you're sinkin' like a stone_

_Carry on_~

Margaret grabbed her phone off of the table and looked at the caller I.D. Eileen. She flipped the bar on the screen and held the phone to her ear as she walked out of the room, "Hello?"

"Hey Margaret! Sorry to be calling so early, but I was just wondering…what time is the party again? Rigby's throwing a fit and I forgot." Eileen asked her friend from the other line. "Oh, sure. It's at one thirty. I'll ask Mordecai to watch the babies for a little while and then I'll go pick up the cake, then I'll meet you guys back at the park and we'll call Mordecai over. He'll be so surprised!" Margaret giggled.

"Awesome! Rigby, Howie and I will be there at one 'o clock sharp. Until then, see ya, Margaret." With that, the call ended. Margaret glanced at the hall clock and her eyes widened; it was already ten thirty in the morning! "Oh s***!" Margaret muttered, "I've got to get ready!"

The cardinal nearly dropped her phone as she reached the bathroom. Margaret placed her phone onto the sink counter and quickly hopped into the shower. She took the fastest shower possible, quickly washing her hair, brushing her teeth, and combing her spikes all simultaneously until she was done. Margaret buffed herself dry and threw herself into a long purple dress, something that she wore the day Mordecai asked her to marry him. She smiled briefly at the wonderful memory and marveled at the fact how she still fit into the darn thing after nearly three years.

Shaking her head, Margaret nudged Mordecai's shoulder, prompting him to wake up. "Rise and shine, birthday boy." The red bird smirked, pecking Mordecai's cheek. The blue jay slowly came to, rubbing the sand out of his eyes. "Oh, morning Maggie." He smiled, kissing her full on the lips. "Listen, I was wondering if you could watch the twins for a while. I need to…go to do some shopping." Margaret lied glibly, using the straightest face she could.

"Oh, sure," Mordecai nodded. "I should probably go to work and tell Benson that-" "NO!" Margaret retorted vehemently. Mordecai was taken aback at her tone. "Whoa, okay..I'll just call him. Geez, you don't have to get all bent out of shape about it." He mumbled. "No, no…look, I'm sorry I snapped, I…just don't think its necessary." "Why? Benson always wants to know where I am, especially if I don't show up on a work day." "Look, just don't worry about it, okay?! I'll handle it." Margaret assured him. She certainly didn't want him to spoil his own surprise party.

"Alright, alright." The blue jay grudgingly agreed to her terms. "Okay, so if the twins get hungry, you know the drill. There's already some prepared milk in the fridge for them and I think you know how to change diapers. Plus, we'll be going to the park later. I think Benson wanted to have a…"meeting with you," Once again, Margaret fibbed her way through, trying not to foil the plan.

Mordecai looked slightly worried. "Okay then…" He sighed. The blue jay pecked her lips, "Have a good day. I'll see you later, Coffee Girl." "And I'll see you later too, Diaper Boy." Margaret winked at him and then left the room, disappearing outside as she drove off to the park.

Not too long after she left, Mordecai got up from the bed and went to go check on the twins. As he suspected, both of them were fast asleep. But as he approached the crib closer, he swore he saw Naeleek beginning to fidget and stir. Mordecai braced himself, waiting to hear a wail as she fully opened her eyes, but was surprised when all she did was stare back up at him.

"Hi there, Naely, I see you're up and ready to play the day away," Mordecai chuckled as he lifted his daughter out of her crib. Her feathers were now almost fully developed and were turning a light indigo color, just as Margaret had predicted. Naeleek cooed quietly as she reached up and smoothed her small wing across Mordecai's beak. "Hehe, you little silly goose." The blue jay tickled his daughter's foot, earning a small, unexpected smile from the smaller bird.

Mordecai's beak parted, "Oh wow, your first smile! Ain't that something," He grinned. Naeleek went back to her inattentive state, staring intently at Mordecai's beak. "You're such a little cutie." Mordecai kissed his daughter's cheek and laid her down back into the crib, placing a pacifier into her mouth. "Can you be a good girl for daddy and go back to sleep?"

Once again, he got nothing but silence from the littlest bird.

"I'll take that as a possible…yes," Mordecai laughed.

[_Meanwhile, at the park_]

"Wow…this looks great so far!" Margaret marveled as she gazed around the living room. Streamers and banners were hung upon the walls, most of them saying "Happy Birthday, Mordecai!" or "Another year older again." An array of colorful streamers (twenty-six to be exact!) highlighted the once dull room with a hint of vibrancy and vividness. The entire ceiling was completely infested with an assortment of bright, multi-colored balloons that stood out from everything else in the room. The carpeted floor even had a touch of confetti to add to the gaudy display.

"We've been working on it all morning long. I hope Mordecai will like the results," Benson said with a slight trace of pride in his voice. "Oh, I'm sure he'll love it! Heck, I love it!" Margaret chuckled. "My Benny here has worked so hard on preparing for Mordecai's party. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees it all!" Audrey triumphantly declared.

"I can't either! This truly is amazing." Eileen chimed in, her eyes sparkling. Rigby hugged his wife, holding their son in his arms. "Mordecai's gonna be so surprised! He'll probably faint or something." The raccoon said jokingly, earning an elbow in the gut by Eileen. "Rigby!" She scolded.

As the hours ticked by, Margaret's trip to the bakery was uneventful, much to her relief. She quickly retrieved the cake when she realized something as it was given to her. "Wait…my husband's name isn't Nordica! And he isn't a female, either!" The cardinal exclaimed with exasperation. She showed the cake to the baker and he shrugged, "Sorry miss, you'll just have to deal with it."

Margaret put the cake down and slammed her fists onto the counter. "Deal with it!? Who do you think you are?! I'm only trying to make my husband's birthday special for him!" She screamed. "M'am, I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell ya. All of the other bakers have gone home because today was a slow day, and I was just closing up the shop until you came by."

Margaret quivered with anger. She was about to blow a fuse when she noticed something behind the man that caught her eye. It was a package full of…pound cake? "Hey, is that for sale?" Margaret knew for a fact that Mordecai loved pound cake; she figured he would much rather prefer it over a cake.

"Oh, this pound cake right here? Well, I'd assume so. Nobody has been interested in it for a while, so I suppose you may have this instead." The baker shrugged, picking up the small package. "That'll be $9.39, m'am."

"Where's Margaret with the cake? She should've been back by now, and Mordecai will be here with the twins any second now!"

Eileen was getting that same uneasy feeling that she got when Margaret was having the twins. It was very unsettling. Rigby put his hand on her shoulder, "Relax. She'll get here eventually." As if on cue, the door flew open, revealing Margaret who was out of breath. "Guys! I've got- *_pant_*" "Did you get the cake?" Muscle Man asked.

"Yes, but-"

"What took you so long?"

"Well, I-"

"D'ooohhh! May we see it?"

"Uh-"

"Is it vanilla? Bleh, I hate vanilla."

"No time for questions! Now, does anybody have any icing? Anybody?" Margaret asked the park crew. Everyone besides Pops remained silent, "I have some strawberry jam in my bedroom. I'll go get it!" The lolliman laughed merrily before skipping off to fetch the mentioned item.

"Margaret, what's going on? Didn't the bakery pre-ice it already?" Eileen asked, confusion staining her voice. Margaret sighed, "Really long story that I don't have much time to explain. Now we've got to hurry! It won't be long before he gets here!"

At that same moment, outside, Mordecai was just pulling up into the park, the twins sitting in their respective carseats in the back, and as you guessed it, they were fast asleep. "Okay guys, we're here. Now, you'll be good while mommy and daddy have a nice meeting with Benson, right?" Mordecai looked back at his son and daughter in the rearview mirror, smirking playfully.

"Hopefully you guys will stay asleep for the time being. I can't risk you guys crying during a meeting with Benson. You know how hot-headed he is."

Back in the house, the others gathered around as Margaret coated the pound cake with the strawberry jam. Rigby was staring out the window when he spotted Mordecai pulling up in his car, "Guys! Guys! He's comiiiiing!" The raccoon announced, earning several gasps. At this point, Margaret hurried along her pace. She had just finished icing the last piece when the front door opened, revealing Mordecai trying to get the twins' stroller through the door.

Everything was dead silent for a moment, until Muscle Man slipped his shirt off and shouted, "SURPRISE!" Soon everyone else followed suit, although they were all wise enough to keep their shirts on unlike Muscle Man.

Mordecai blinked in surprise, then grinned broadly at the sight. "Wow, thanks guys! I…I don't know what to say!" He exclaimed as he entered the house. "I know what you can say. Thank Margaret. This was all her idea in the first place." Skips smiled, patting Mordecai on the back in a brotherly manner. "Yeah. We've been planning this party for weeks. But we couldn't have done it without Margaret." Starla added, with a smile of course.

"Margaret, you did all of this for me? Even while we've been having to juggle the twins for the past two weeks?" Mordecai turned to his wife, who swore she could see tears glistening in his eyes. Margaret awed and hugged him, "Of course I did all of this for you! You're such a great husband and an amazing father, Mordecai. You deserved this!" At this rate, everyone began to applaud. Even Pops ran over to his piano.

"I say, would anyone like to hear a melody?" He giggled. Soon everyone was dancing and having a good time, and after a bit of persuasion, everyone even got a bite out of the pound cake. Dedicated to the happy couple, the music dwindled a bit until it was as soft as a slow dance song. Hand in hand, Mordecai and Margaret slowly waltzed around the room.

"Happy birthday, Mordecai." Margaret whispered as she draped her chin over Mordecai's shoulder. Mordecai tightened his embrace on her and kissed her cheek, "Thanks for helping me celebrate it. I love you, Maggie." It wasn't long before they soon began to make out, much to the others' disdain (and even some "awws" from the crowd emerged!).

The party was prolonged, and the generic birthday party traditions continued; present-opening, games, and some of the guys even have a "few" drinks. By the time the party had ended, it was almost eight thirty at night. Mordecai had passed out from having one too many drinks, resulting in Skips having to carry him out to the car.

After buckling the fast-fading twins into their respective carseats, Margaret got into the driver's seat and looked at her sleeping husband. He looked so cute. The cardinal planted a soft kiss on his forehead, "I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Diaper Boy. You're getting a little too big for you britches, now." Those were her final words as she drove off back towards their home.

(( **Two updates in one day! That's a record. I am so. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. SO sorry if this chapter seemed to go in-and-out of detail and if it was rushed! ****WhyamIevendoingthisXD.**** Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed the slight "irregularness" in this chapter anyways. Please let me know what you thought about it, and don't be shy to tell me your personal opinions on what needs to be fixed.** ))


	6. Audrey's Baby Shower

Life as We Know It, Chapter Six

Even after four months, everything in the Quintel household, to say the least, wasn't irregular. Nothing new, just something simple, and so forth.

"Come on, Naely, let's get you and your brother all dressed up. You two are a mess." The twins both giggled at Margaret's statement as she lifted the two of them out of their respective high chairs. Now four months old, the twins weren't as much of a handful as they were at birth; but instead, they were even worse. They would refuse to eat and they would rather bat the spoon away or smear the food across their faces, a required bath following soon afterwards.

As Margaret picked her son and daughter up and carried them down the hallway towards the bathroom, curiosity got the best of her son. Jerrod reached up and smeared the food that was on his hands all over Margaret's cheek. "Jerry, stop that." Margaret laughed, taking hold of her son's wing. Jerrod cooed as did his sister while their mother lowered them into the bathtub, setting them in their bath chairs.

Margaret began to wash the twins, thoroughly soaping their fully-developed spikes with shampoo and later rinsing them out. This repeated until the twins were scrubbed free of any food left. "Jerrod, I think you're the messiest out of them all, you little dickens," The cardinal said playfully as she buffed her son dry with a towel. Jerrod smiled, completely oblivious of anything around him.

When the twins were both dry, Margaret changed them into brand new diapers and left them restrained to the changing table while she sorted throughout the nursery closet. "Let's see…what would be appropriate for them to where at the shower," Margaret mused to herself. "Aha! Here we go," She pulled out a small, frilly purple dress with a matching bonnet and booties. "What do you think, Naely?" The red bird questioned her daughter, showing the dress to the younger bird.

Naeleek simply blinked in response, drooling as she snatched at the air, trying to grab a floating piece of dust. "I assume that's a "Yes mommy, I love my pretty clothes!". I just hope you won't ruin them with your slobber or anything." Margaret laughed, using her finger to wipe the dribble from her daughter's drool-ridden chin. She changed Naeleek into the outfit and 'aww'ed; her little baby girl looked so precious.

"And as for you, my little man," Margaret turned to Jerrod, who had fallen asleep. She withdrew a blue-and-white striped t-shirt with matching blue jeans, including a pair of white pom-pom socks. "I think you would look so sweet in this." The inevitable happened; Jerrod was no longer naked, safe for his diaper.

"Alright, now let's go find daddy and leave. I don't want Audrey to think we won't make it to her baby shower!" The red bird lifted her children into her arms and walked downstairs to see Mordecai combing out his hair. "Ready to go?" She asked him as she picked her purse off of the table and slung it around her shoulder next to the baby bag. "Yep," Mordecai nodded and escorted his wife and kids out the door.

The perpetual car ride abruptly ended as Mordecai pulled the car onto the side of the street. Most of the cars in the driveway had taken up most of the space, so there wasn't much room left to spare. "Alright, let's round up the messy eaters and go on in." Margaret chuckled. Mordecai smirked and pecked his wife's cheek, "Alright. I'll carry in Audrey's gifts and stuff."

And that they did. Politely knocking on the front door, a familiar pregnant figure answered, beaming and practically glowing with bliss. "Hey guys! Come on in; you're just in time for some games!" Audrey smiled, making a welcoming gesture into the house. They compiled, and Audrey wasn't lying when she said that the games were beginning.

For this particular game, three people were put to the test: Muscle Man, Benson, and Thomas were put to the test. Whoever was first to finish drinking juice out of a baby bottle won. "Come on, Mitchy-poo! You can do this!" Starla cheered on her fiancé. That's right; the green couple was set to be married within a few months.

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" That was when Mordecai noticed that Rigby, Eileen, and even Howie had tagged along at the party, and of course, Rigby was the one cheering. Within minutes, the game had ended as Thomas, surprisingly, was first to finish. "Woooo! Go Thomas!" Margaret and Eileen simultaneously cheered.

"Aw what! There's no way he could've beat me!" Muscle Man started to become furious. Benson put a hand to the green man's chest, "Relax Muscle Man, it's just a game." The gumball machine internally rolled his eyes. This was so like Muscle Man to get enraged by something so stupid and pointless.

"Whatever," Everybody in the room could tell that the green man was visibly and audibly upset, although he didn't try and show much of it. Muscle Man sulked over to his fiancé and moped in her arms as she hugged him, "Aww, don't worry Mitch! I don't care that you didn't win…I still love you more than I love the stars!" Starla pecked his plump cheek with a reassuring kiss.

"Great job, Thomas! How'd you even do that in time?" Audrey smiled. Thomas shrugged, "I guess my mom read me the tale of the tortoise and the hare for too long when I was a kid." He laughed at his joke. A smattering of applause rang out in the room, safe for Muscle Man, who simply pouted.

"I hate baby showers." The green man huffed.

"Okay, who wants to go eat some cake?" Audrey announced, grinning as she ushered the excited group of people into the kitchen, one of the loudest being Rigby. "CAKE! CAKE! CAAAKE!" The raccoon shouted with ecstasy, his wife and son behind him chuckling. "Rigby's so immature sometimes," Margaret joked as she and Mordecai were the last to enter the kitchen. Mordecai rolled his eyes, "That's just Rigby being Rigby." He intertwined his wing into her fingers as they carried their sleeping twin babies in their carriers in their other free hands.

As the birds walked into the kitchen where everyone had gathered, they looked at all of the fancy decorations. There were numerous bright blue and pink balloons, the weights that were holding them down were small packages of pacifiers or small brightly colored stuff animals.

The large amount of gifts on the table looked like they had quadrupled in number when Mordecai and Margaret arrived. The gift boxes and wrapping paper were brilliant hues of bright pink or blue, with little pictures of storks and fine colored drawings of diapered babies gamboling and creeping amidst a profusion of baby blocks, rattles, pacifiers and baby bottles painted on them. Dozens of boxes of diapers stood stacked in two corners of the room, like giant pillars, little cards taped on the boxes, clearly full of money.

A large cake in the shape of a very pregnant belly wearing a blue dress, almost similar to the one Audrey was wearing, sat on the main course table, next to several paper plates, forks, and napkins. Benson and Audrey were the first to get their pieces before the served the other guests as well. "Awesome! Look, Eileen, look! It's chocolate!" Rigby exclaimed, showing his slice of cake to his wife, who rolled her eyes to the heavens and giggled, "Thank the lord for chocolate cake!"

Mordecai glanced over at his wife, who was gobbling down her slice. He chuckled, "You finally glad that you can eat normal food again other than those cravings you had when you were pregnant?" Margaret looked at him, chocolate crumbs falling from her beak that was covered in blue and white icing. She smiled and licked her lips, "Yeah."

"Hold on, you got something on your lips," Mordecai stated. Margaret was about to wipe her mouth off when Mordecai said, "Don't worry, I'll fix it for you." Then, he kissed her, getting frosting all over his mouth. "You're so cute." Margaret dabbed Mordecai's nose/beak with her finger, glazing it with more icing.

A few feet away, Rigby and Eileen are just finishing up their pieces of cake when suddenly; now four-month-old Howie dipped his paw into Eileen's half-eaten slice of cake. He gingerly placed his frosting-coved paw into his mouth and began to suck on it. "Howie!" Eileen scolded, gently taking his paw out of his mouth. "Can you believe he just did that?" The mole looked towards her husband. Rigby shrugged, "It won't hurt 'em." Eileen scoffed at his answer, then turned and looked over towards Audrey, who was sitting in a special chair, nibbling on her pregnancy-themed cake. "She has a lot to look forward too, her and Benson both."

"Come on Audrey! Give a speech!" One of her older friends shouted at her, raising a glass of punch.  
"No! She doesn't need to give a speech! She should just sit down. Don't make her get up!" Benson said, defensively. "Oh stop! I'm fine!" Audrey objected, slapping her husband in the arm. She gave a smile, took a sip from her glass of milk, and put her hands on the armrests of her chair, awkwardly trying to stand up.

She let out a groan, as she finally got to her feet, putting her hands into the small of her back, her seven month pregnant belly wrapped tightly in the blue dress she was wearing, causing the fabric to bunch up in the sides. Her popped-out navel was visible through the fabric, resting on-top of her mammoth blue mound like a little hat.

Her belly was massive, jutting out in front of her like she swallowed an oversized globe. With the tight blue dress on, it did look like a small planet covered completely in water.

"I want to thank everyone for coming today!" Audrey beamed, her hands in the small of her back, causing her massive pregnant belly to jut out further. "Somebody once asked me when I turned twenty-nine last year, "the big three-o's coming up, what do you have to look forward to?" And I didn't have an answer to that back then. But now today, I have one!" She exclaimed smiling, patting her belly for emphasis, before returning her hands to the small of her back.

Audrey suddenly gasped, then rubbed her protuberant stomach, "Oh my, this little one is active today!" She chuckled a bit, "Now, I know some people might say that this'll be easy since I'm still young, maybe they're right, but while those people are sleeping soundly at 9PM, I'll have a hot date with a breast pump!" She joked, the room erupting in laughter from everyone except Muscle Man. She jiggled her ample bosom for effect, before resting her hands on top of her obtruding belly.

"I'm not so sure HOW exactly I got pregnant with a gumball machine's baby," Benson blushed at this part, "But…anything is possible, right? But as I sit here, with my sweet little sugarcube bumping away inside of me, I don't really care. I have the loving support of my friends and family, whom I'm sure, will love to help out when I give birth in a few months.

It certainly won't be easy. There are long days, and long nights ahead of me, but I will be the best mother I still humanly can be, making sure my baby will have everything he or she could ever want, and a happy home filled with love, laughter, and joy. So thanks again for coming to what I hope will be my last baby shower, because, well," Audrey concluded, pausing.

She turns showing her pregnant profile to her guests, putting her hands into the small of her back, and giving a comical face. "Three's a crowd!" A smattering of applause echoed through the room as Audrey smiled; placing her hands on her belly and giving it an affectionate rub.

"Wow, she really loves being pregnant," Margaret whispered to Mordecai. The blue jay nuzzled her shoulder, "I don't think she'll be saying that for long." "Yeah, I'm still feeling the after affects of giving birth." The cardinal shrugged. She glanced down at her still sleeping twin babies and smiled, "But it was all totally worth it."

"Who's up for opening some gifts?" One of Audrey's friends shouted, hands upraised. Everyone in the room cheered their agreement. "Alright! Let's see who this is from," Audrey took a large red package off of the table and squealed as she opened it, "Oh wow! Look Benny! My mom made some clothes for our baby!" She lifted a small green, purple, and yellow onesie with a small bumblebee stitched onto the front. "How nice of her," Benson smiled.

"Next one is from…Skips," Audrey frowned slightly, "I don't believe I know a 'Skips'. Is Skips one of your park friends, Benny?" She asked her husband. "Yeah. He's a co-manager at the park. He wasn't able to make it here, so he gave me your present before he left." Benson explained. Audrey nodded and proceeded to open the gift, which turned out to be a small dream catcher. "Oh, how cute!" She cooed.

Pops walked up to Audrey and held out his hand, which was a butterscotch ripple lollipop. "Here you are, madam; tell your child to spend it wisely!" The merry lolliman then skipped off as he passed the lollipop to her. "Thank you, Pops," Audrey smiled.

This process repeated until nearly all of the presents were opened, all but one. "'From Mordecai and Margaret and Rigby and Eileen, oh yeah, Howie and the twins, too.'" Audrey read, laughing a bit at the last part. She opened the neatly-wrapped gift and clapped her hand to her mouth in delighted surprise. "H-how…how did you know?" Audrey murmured, tears glistening in her eyes. Benson hugged his wife's shoulder.

Eileen smiled, "Your mom gave it to us, asking us to fix it. With a little help from the internet, we were able to do so." Audrey slowly and carefully observed the tiny, venerable hand-me-down cupped in her hands, as if it were a delicate artifact from an ancient civilization that might break if she touched it. "It's…it's my old lullaby box."

With care, Audrey gently twisted the knob on the box, and a soft melody began to play as a porcelain ballerina popped out from the top of the box. "This used to lull me to sleep at night when I was a little girl. Oh, how I've missed this so much." She crooned. "And now, it can be your little one's." Mordecai grinned, his hand curled into Margaret's.

"Oh…I cannot even describe in words how much I appreciate this gift. I mean, everyone else's gifts were nice and oh-so-thoughtful, but this…I…I don't know what to say. Thank you," Tears were now freely cascading down the blonde's face in profusion. "S-sorry," She withdrew a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her face dry, "It's my hormones acting up again." Benson hugged his wife.

"Aw, no worries. You have every right to cry." Margaret assured. "It was so special to you, and we knew it would be perfect as a gift." "Thanks. In fact, thank you all for the wonderful gifts! I love you all! And I know the baby does, too!" Audrey announced. She pulled Margaret, Eileen, and Starla into a large, sisterly hug. Everyone in the room rained a round of applause down on Audrey and her husband.

All good things must come to an end at one point, and this was it's time. After about two hours of visiting and such, everyone began to dissipate out of the house until all of the guests had left. That included Mordecai and Margaret. As they strapped the twins and themselves into the car, Margaret spoke up, "That was quite the baby shower, don't you think? I think we got Audrey a nice gift."

"Yeah, we did. It's too bad the twins came too early for your baby shower, though," Mordecai looked a little bit down. He remembered a few months back; a week before the twins' birth, he had planned an amazing baby shower that was almost as great as Audrey's. But before the party could've started, the twins decided to come out.

"I'm sorry you couldn't get a real baby shower, Mags," The blue jay looked at her apologetically. Margaret intertwined her wing into Mordecai's, "Hey, let's not dwell on the past. It was just really bad timing." She smiling reassuringly. "And besides, baby showers aren't that important. What really matters is that we'll become great parents and we'll know that we have friends and family there to support us. That's what it truly is about."

"Thanks Margaret, I needed that." Mordecai hugged his wife and shared a short kiss with her. But the moment was shattered by Naeleek and Jerrod's crying. "Geez, they always pick the right moment, don't they?" Margaret laughed as she got out of her seat and went to tend to the twins. Mordecai sighed internally, "Yep."


	7. On the Night Before Three Birthdays

Life as We Know It, Chapter Seven

(( **This chapter will have yet another time skip****!**** Howie and the twins will now be almost a year old****.**** In fact****,**** the next chapter will be about their first birthdays ****(****afterall, they were born a day apart from one another, so why not have a tripe birthday****?).**** If you have any ideas, don't be shy to PM me****! :D** ))

"And then the prince said to the princess, "I love you beyond the moon, my darling. Please, let us be together forever, and live a peaceful life together in complete bliss. Do me the honor of becoming my wife." And the princess agreed. The following day, they were married and from then on, they lived happily ever after with their new healthy baby girl who would soon take her mother's place. The end.""

Naeleek whined incompetently as her father closed the book. "Come on baby girl, it's time to go to sleep. You and your brother's birthday is coming up real soon, and I don't want you all cranky and stuff." Mordecai chuckled, bringing his daughter's cheek to his beak as he kissed it. He stood up from the chair he was sitting in and walked over to the crib, gently laying his drowsy daughter into the cot.

He draped a fuzzy blanket over her small body, "There, all nice and warm and comfy. Night-night, my princess." Mordecai gave his daughter her favorite stuffed toy, Mee-mee, to her and patted her head before he motioned towards the door to leave. Before he could take another step, Naeleek whimpered and made a few grabby hand motions at the air, clumsily pointed at a corner of the room.

"Oh, you want your night light on." Mordecai smiled. He easily flicked the small, crescent-moon shaped light on, creating a dim brightness in the dark room. That was enough to satisfy Naeleek, as she closed her eyes and let out a happy sigh before drifting off into the sea of dreams.

Mordecai gave a final glance to his daughter, then he quietly left the room and headed down the hallway towards the master bedroom. As he walked towards the closed door, he heard a loud squeal coming from behind it. The blue jay stepped into the room and smirked at the sight.

There was Margaret, splayed out atop the bed on her stomach as Jerrod sat in front of her, grinning as he showed off his only two teeth that were at the bottom of his gums. Margaret sensed Mordecai's presence and giggled, "He's getting so big. I think little Jerry here is turning out to be a mama's boy." She tweaked her son's beak, earning another cackle of delight from the smaller bird.

"Yeah, well that's too bad, because he'll be just like his old man here." Teased Mordecai as he sat down onto the bed next to his wife. Margaret raised her brows, smirking, "Oh really? Well, what about your daughter? What if SHE's like YOU and Jerrod turns out like ME? Is that fair enough, daddy?" She said jokingly. "Are you suggesting that sweet little Naely's gonna be a daddy's girl?" Mordecai replied teasingly. "She already is one." Margaret concluded with a hint of laughter.

"I gotta credit you on that one. Jerrod likes you a lot more than Naeleek does." Mordecai agreed. "Mordecai, you treat her like royalty. Of course she likes you more than me." Margaret playfully rolled her eyes. "Come on Coffee Girl, she loves you, me, and Jerrod all the same!" The blue jay gently elbowed her. "That's what YOU think. Not Naeleek. You can't read minds, Mordecai." The cardinal reminded.

"Well, whatever. But don't think that she doesn't love you, because that's not the truth. Anyways, I think my J-man over here needs to join Naely for some sleep. Right, Jerr?" Mordecai asked his son, who was mindlessly gnawing on his thumb. "Dah," The littlest bird babbled, extending one arm out to his father. "Come on little dude." The blue jay then lifted his son by his underarms and carried him into the nursery, then laid him down into his respective crib.

"Come on Jerrod, go to sleep, buddy. Daddy has to work tomorrow and you just need sleep. Period. Aren't you tired from keeping me and your mom up all those mornings when you were born?" Mordecai whispered, stroking his son's head. Jerrod frowned. "Oh come on. What more do you want from me?" The blue jay chuckled. Jerrod pointed up. "Oh! You want me to turn your mobile on?" A nod confirmed it all.

Mordecai did as he was 'told' and turned on the mobile, letting the spinning objects dangling from it mesmerize his son and put him into a deep sleep, almost instantaneously. The blue jay heaved a relieved sigh, "Finally." He smiled, bent down and kissed his son goodnight, before leaving the room.

"So, they're asleep?" Margaret asked. She was lying in a proper position near the head of the bed, reading a magazine. "Yep," Mordecai replied with a nod as he curled into bed with her. "And you know what that means, right?~" Margaret said in a slight sing-song voice. She wrapped one leg around Mordecai's and put her torso on his chest, stroking his bare chest. Mordecai smirked, "Oh, you know me all too well." He wrapped his wings around her body and pulled her into a kiss.

~X~

"Hey Rigby, look at this house. It looks nice and it also has a really good price," Eileen pointed to a house on a piece of paper, circled in red ink. For the past month, Rigby and Eileen have both been planning on moving out of their apartment. Howie was getting bigger and bigger, and the parents knew that he wouldn't have enough room to grow inside the small apartment.

Speaking of Howie, the newest member to the Salyer family brought both joy and often stress to the family. Howie, to put it lightly, was as curious as a cat; always getting into everything he shouldn't, throwing food and toys at his parents, and even trying to climb out of his crib and open doors on his own. Luckily, Howie wasn't an irritable toddler.

Now that he was nearing age one, Howie looked like the spitting image of his father. Although he had no circles around his eyes or the same fur color, he often acted like his father as well: Loud, messy, and most noticeably lazy. However, Howie had quite the intellect for an eleven month old. He loved learning new things, and he could almost get all of his ABCs right. Eileen was proud.

"Nah, it's too girly-looking." Rigby said solemnly, his face glued to his phone screen. "Rigby, it's yellow. It's not girly," Eileen sighed. She turned to her son whom was sitting on the end of the bed, staring at his parents intently, "What do you think, sweetie?" Howie nodded eagerly. "Mum!" He extended his arms towards Eileen.

"Oh, come here," The mole giggled, beckoning for him to come closer. Howie immediately crawled on all fours towards his mother as fast as he could, almost as fast as his father could scamper. "Oh Howie, my little angel," Eileen stroked her son's soft fur. Howie snickered as he played with his mother's hand, trying to take off her wedding ring. "No-no, sweetie. Not for you. Daddy gave this to me the day he asked to marry me." She shot a knowing glance at Rigby, who had taken his glance away from his phone. "Huh?" He spoke, now snapping back to reality.

"You know, the day you asked me to marry you."Eileen smirked. "Oh yeah, that. Yeah, that was a cool day." Rigby nodded, turning back to his phone. Eileen sighed, "Oh Rigby..."

(( **Short chapter, I know, I know! I just wanted to do a time skip, because I have a load of ideas for a Halloween and Christmas chapter (of course, the twins and Howie's birthdays will come first!), and I wanted to fill the void. In the meantime, I hope you liked his short chapter that will be a preview of what will be happening in later chapters. Until next time… *****smiles and BOOKS IT*** ))


	8. Author's Note

Author's Note: I'll be deleting this story, but don't worry; there will be an improved version of Life as We Know It. I hope you'll enjoy the newer version! ^^


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